Albus Potter and the Amulet of the Serpent
by Tetsuya Amanuma the Alchemist
Summary: Updated and revised. Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy are starting Year 1 at Hogwarts, but with a new rival, tough classes and something wicked brewing, can the two survive their first year?
1. A Brief Foreword

It's been a while since I updated, but I decided to update this story.

For one, I have a more comprehensive schedule. Also a few characters were removed, the characters in particular being Edmund and Brayden and their families. I couldn't do much justice with them later on. In their place is a new student. Also each house has the appropriate amount of new students. Some characters previously sorted in the original have not been removed but they are to appear next year or at a later time.

~Enjoy the story~


	2. Ch 1: Journey to Hogwarts

Albus Potter stood nervously in front of the scarlet locomotive that would take him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the very first time. His older brother, James, had taunted him until their mother had threatened to write to Professor McGonagall to forbid James from playing on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team this year, and only then had James stopped teasing Albus. Almost as bad, to Albus at least, was his younger sister Lily's enthusiasm and her insistence to go right at this very moment ("If only she knew how nerve-wracking this was, then she'd be begging to stay home to consider it for another year." Albus had found himself thinking bitterly) was worse. James was lucky, knowing his house already (he had always been a tell-tale Gryffindor though) and he was returning for his third year.

Albus was content to forget about the school (mainly the Sorting) for a few minutes' time as he fed his Snowy Owl, Hedwig, a treat. He had seen pictures of his father's own Snowy Owl of the same name (he had named his after her), but he had learned from his mother that his father's Hedwig had died during his mum's sixth year and his father's seventh, during the height of some great Wizarding War. Albus had not yet learned of it. James had, but he was forbidden from speaking about it from their mum, perhaps because the story was scary and she had wanted to protect Lily from it. Albus hadn't cared to do further investigation on the matter. At the moment, he couldn't see how the information would help him.

"You'd best be getting aboard the train. It's due to leave any minute now." Albus' father said. Albus exchanged hugs and kisses with both parents and he even gave a very warm and big brotherly farewell to Lily, who would have been crying about not being able to go to Hogwarts had cousin Hugo - who was her age - not been there.

Albus was glad at least that some of his cousins were starting their first year at Hogwarts as well. His cousin Rose was going, and that was terrific really...but Rose was like her mother at the age, a bit too smart and rather bossy at times. His cousin Roxanne was also going, and Uncle Fred was there, giving her a warm hug before helping her go load her luggage. And Albus was glad that cousin Louis was going. Louis (or Louie, as he was called by most of the family) was the son of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur and the younger brother of cousins Victoire (in her fifth year) and Dominique (in her third year). Louie was Albus' favorite cousin, and really the only male cousin around his age that he had, as there was loads of girl cousins. When they'd visit Grandpa Arthur and Grandma Molly at their gatherings at the Burrow, Albus and Louie always had a terrific time. Albus recalled a month ago, when he and Cousin Louie had a grand old time in the barn, eating chocolate frogs and playing Wizard's Chess, and they had also had a "jousting" contest with old mops. Albus knew without a doubt that Dominique had left Louie with his parents to be with her friends in another compartment, and Victoire too had left Louie to his own devices as she snogged Teddy Lupin before the train's departure, or so James had claimed.

Albus had found a compartment at the end that was empty, unaware it was the very same compartment his father had sat in on his own first trip to Hogwarts. James helped Albus load his luggage and Hedwig in the luggage car of the train before he headed into the compartment Albus had claimed, followed by cousin Fred and cousin Rose.

Fred was slightly tall for thirteen, only a bit taller than James and he looked identical to his father (and long deceased uncle for whom he was named) at that age. Fred too, was a third year. Fred also resembled his father and uncle in mannerisms, as he got into mischief at school as well, and he loved his pranks and jokes, like James.

James had a mischievous look to him, his dark hair and eyes seemed perfect for his dog-like qualities ("Just like Sirius." Albus' father once said).

Albus himself was so much like Harry at eleven, with neater brown hair at that, and Harry's brilliant eye color as well.

Rose was red-haired and freckled, having qualities of her father mixed in with her mother's beauty.

Albus smiled and waved at his father and mother, Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, sister and cousin Hugo and the rest of his family. Lily, followed by Hugo, ran up to their window, followed by Albus' dad and Aunt Hermione. His father picked Lily up so she could grasp Albus' hand through the open window, which he offered to her, and Hugo and Rose did the same. Albus smiled nervously at his father and sister, as Rose said a few comforting to her brother, who was crying.

There was a whistle and their respective parents and siblings stepped back to join the rest of the family as the train began to move, slowly now. James closed the window and a chocolate frog stuck to it and Albus grinned and Albus' father, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione exchanged a secret sort of smile. Fred scooped up the frog and took a bite from it. The train gathered speed, and Lily ran after them, half-laughing and half-crying, Hugo following her loyally, and Uncle Ron said something to Albus' mum that made her smile. Lily and Hugo could no longer keep up, and they stopped and waved to their departing siblings along with the rest of the family before they all vanished from sight. Albus felt as if he was half about to cry. James and Fred promptly left to rejoin their compartment of friends, and Rose left to sit with Roxanne, leaving Albus alone in the compartment.

Albus had never been a replica of James, or even of his father in personality. James had always been all-Gryffindor in personality. He was just as brave and bold as Gryffindors, and rash too. He acted without thinking, was reckless and he was also very outgoing and a joker. Albus was different.

Albus himself, especially by contrast of his brother was always more quiet and reserved, a more refined and deeper thinker. He was clever, and he thought carefully and weighed out the result of his actions before taking them. He was even shy compared to his brother. So as the Hogwarts Express made its way, unseen, through London suburbs, Albus wasn't trying to entertain himself or seek out old friends, but he sat in silence and thought. This was soon interrupted by the compartment door sliding open.

It was cousin Louie. Louie was blond-haired and blue eyed like his older sister, Dominique and his mother, but he had a lot of his father's facial features.

"Hey cousin Al, mind if I sit here? Victoire's telling all her friends about snogging Teddy or something and that's one thing I do _not _want to bear witness to." Louie asked, standing in the doorway.

"Not at all." Albus said, smiling at his cousin. Louie grinned back and flopped in the seat beside his cousin. The two talked for a bit, and then the door of their compartment slid open again.

A boy with white-blond hair slid the compartment door open. He was the boy Albus had seen with the man Uncle Ron had talked disdainfully of earlier, the Malfoy boy. He had grey eyes and a pale, pointed face. He was followed by a slightly taller boy, who was big for eleven with brown hair and wolfish blue eyes.

"Mind if we sit here? Everywhere else is full." the slightly smaller boy drawled.

"No, not at all." Albus said. The smaller boy sat across from Albus and his friend sat across from Louie.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy." the boy said, reaching out a hand for a handshake to Albus. "And you are?"

"Albus Potter." Albus said. Scorpius' eyes widened for a moment.

"Potter, eh?" he said and Albus nodded. "Interesting." Scorpius said before turning to Edmund.

"And you?" he asked.

"I'm Louis Weasley, call me Louie." Louie said, shaking the hands of both boys.

"I'm Emmet Smith." the brown haired boy said, and just then, the lady pushing the trolley strolled in front of their compartment.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she offered. Albus and Scorpius stood up and bought enough of everything and before long they had a huge pile of treats on the seat.

"So what teams do you guys follow? I'm a supporter of Ireland, myself." Emmet asked, taking a bite out of a Chocolate Frog.

"Top o' the morning to you then!" Louie exclaimed, and he and Emmet exchanged a grin over their shared belief of the best Quidditch team.

"I suppose Ireland as well." Scorpius said indifferently. They looked at Albus.

"Well...Ireland I suppose." he said thoughtfully. "My Uncle's really into the Chudley Cannons." Albus added.

"Well their performance kind of waxes and wanes." Emmet explained. "Sometimes do alright and sometimes they're mediocre at best."

"So what houses are most of your families from?" Emmet asked. "My family's mostly been in Hufflepuff for generations aside from my grandfather and great-grandfather, both were a Slytherin." Emmet said, examining the cards he had collected from Chocolate Frogs so far.

"Both my parents were in Slytherin and born into mainly Slytherin families. You could say my family's all-Slytherin then." Scorpius replied, turning to Louis.

"My family is mostly Gryffindors, but my mum went to Beauxbatons so I don't know about that side, at least." Louis explained.

"My family's all Gryffindor." Albus said. "Though my brother thinks I'm a Slytherin."

"I do hope I'm in Slytherin. It'd be a shame if I wasn't." Scorpius said.

"Agreed. I'd perfectly hate being a Hufflepuff or a Ravenclaw for that matter." Emmet said. Albus kept quiet, listening to the others.

"I suppose I hope I'm in Gryffindor. All my family is in there." Louis said.

They continued to talk until Rose told them to get dressed in their robes because they would soon be arriving. Before long, all of the boys were wearing their new robes.

"Hey Scorpius?" Albus asked.

"What?" Scorpius replied.

"How do our robes and the rest of our uniform change color to reflect our house?" Albus asked.

Scorpius smiled at him. "Magic." he said simply.

Right after they changed into their uniforms, a voice then echoed throughout the train.

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Scorpius bid his farewell to his eagle owl, Hades (who was really the family owl) and Albus said goodbye to Hedwig as well. petted his Great Horned Owl. Scorpius stroked a second pet of his, a brown half-Kneazle cat named Huckleberry and they pocketed the rest of the sweets before they began to leave the train. As Albus got off, he stumbled and tripped, bumping into a boy.

"Watch it!" the boy yelled in an annoying voice. Albus looked up.

The boy had brown hair and to Albus at least, he looked like he would be annoying for no reason at all. Near Albus two small brown-haired twins grinned at the boy and a freckle-faced brunette boy chuckled.

"Shove off." Louis shot back at him. As the boy pushed Louis, Emmet (who was a lot bigger than the boy or his friends, being big for eleven), shoved him out of the way. The boy fell on the ground and Emmet smirked, helping Louis up.

"Thanks mate." Louis said and they continued walking. A lamp came bobbing over their heads.

"Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way, please! All right Albus?" A voice asked and Hagrid's face appeared over the students. Albus knew Hagrid because Hagrid had visited his family on occasion.

"Hagrid!" Albus cried, relieved. Scorpius looked at him warily but made no comment.

"C'mon, firs' years follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Come along! Firs' years over here!" Hagrid yelled. They slipped and stumbled, following Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. All of them were quiet.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid called out, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!" and several others let out a "Whoa!" or "Wow!". A few even whistled.

The path opened quite suddenly onto the edge of a great, huge black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the lake was a vast castle with turrets and towers all over and windows that sparkled in the starry sky. The lake reflected the scene of the castle and it looked like glass.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called to them, pointing at a fleet of boats sitting in the water by the shore. Albus and Scorpius climbed into one of the first of the boats and Louie and Emmet climbed in behind them. All around them kids were arranging themselves into boats. Landon Finnigan ran for his boat and pulled his best friend Jerome Thomas into it, waving quickly at Luna Lovegood's blond-haired twin sons Lorcan and Lysander to follow. The annoying boy from before pulled the freckle-faced kid in, not even bothering to help the small twins, who managed to get in behind them.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who was in his own boat. Several murmurs of yes escaped the bewildered students.

"Right then - FORWARD!" he yelled. The fleet of small boats moved off all at once, moving across the lake that looked like smooth glass. Scorpius and Albus were at the very frontmost boat, so they were in front. Albus looked at Scorpius and could see the reflection of the twinkling windows of the castle in his eyes.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Scorpius asked him.

"Yes." Albus answered, the wonder becoming apparent in his voice. Albus took in the great sight and looked at everything, determined to keep this beautiful memory in mind. They drew nearer and nearer to the mountain that would hold their new home.

"Heads down!" Hagrid yelled and Albus and Scorpius' boat reached the cliff. All four boys as well as the other students behind them, ducked their heads and went under a curtain of ivy. They went through a wide opening in the cliff and then into a dark tunnel, reaching an underground harbor at the end. Hagrid checked each boat as they all got out.

"Right then, is everyone here?" Hagrid asked. They all nodded silently.

"This way!" Hagrid said. They followed him up a passageway in the rock, following only the light of Hagrid's lamp. They finally arrived onto smooth grass in the shadow of the very castle in which their destiny lay. They clambered up the front steps and stopped behind Hagrid in front of a gigantic oak door that must have been the front door.

"Everyone here?" Hagrid asked. A few were brave enough to say yes but most nodded.

"Righ' then." Hagrid said and he knocked on the door three times.


	3. Ch 2: The Sorting

The door swung open. A tall wizard with black hair stood before them. Judging by the stern face and fetish for emerald green robes, Albus knew this must be Professor Galvin McGonagall, the great-nephew of Minerva McGonagall who had passed down the post of Transfiguration teacher to him. They had a new Headmaster at Hogwarts of course, Professor Helstrom, but Professor McGonagall (the new one) was going to take over as Deputy Head and Head of Gryffindor as well. Galvin McGonagall did not look like the sort of person one should cross either.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said. Professor McGonagall allowed himself to look the students over.

"Thank you Hagrid, I can handle it from here. Follow me." he said, pulling the doors open wide. Many students were quiet from shock. The entrance hall was huge and Albus could not make out where the ceiling was. The walls were lit with flaming torches and a huge marble staircase that faced them nearby led to the upper floors. They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. They could hear the sound of hundreds of voices from a large doorway to their right. Professor McGonagall showed them into a chamber off the hall that was small and rather empty. They crowded in obediently.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your respective seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting ceremony is extremely important, as while you are here at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family. You will go to class with the rest of your House, sleep in the House dormitory and spend any free time with them in your House common room." he explained.

"I must also add that should any of you interrupt this important ceremony with foolish behavior, Professor Helstrom and I will not hesitate to send you back on the Hogwarts Express, as well as an owl to your parents as to why you are going back home so soon." he said. A few students gulped.

"The four Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each House had produced incredible, outstanding witches and wizards. At Hogwarts we have a point system in which one may earn or lose points for their House. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the House that has the most points will be awarded the House cup, which is a great honor. I hope each of you will be an asset to whichever House you may be sorted into." Professor McGonagall explained.

"In just a few minutes the Sorting Ceremony will begin. As you will be sorted into Houses in front of the entire school, I suggest you follow my great-aunt's advice to students in the past and smarten yourselves up while you wait." Professor McGonagall said, eying the annoying boy from earlier's crumpled looking robes and the twins he was with and their tousled hair. Albus began straightening his robes, and Scorpius brushed himself off.

"I shall return when we are ready for you. It would be wise to remain quiet." Professor McGonagall added, and he gave them a look that said that punishment could be granted to those who decided to be loud. He walked off.

"How exactly are we sorted? Me da' wouldn't tell me and he said it was a sort of a secret." brown-haired Landon Finnigan asked in a thick Irish accent.

"My dad hasn't told me either." Jerome Thomas replied to his friend. A few students were already shaking with nervousness.

"I heard it's a test." A brown haired boy with green eyes said.

"Who're you?" Louis asked him.

"Bryce McLaggen." the boy replied. He had slightly wavy brown hair and was average height or slightly taller. He looked kind of cocky and had a small amount of freckles by his nose.

"And I also heard that it hurts." Bryce added.

"Nuh uh," A small boy with curly blond hair said. "I heard we have to fight something like mountain troll or something."

"Oh don't be stupid, they couldn't get a troll, or anything else for that matter in there without trashing the place. Besides we'd have been able to hear it by now." Bryce replied. Suddenly a few people screamed.

Thirty or so ghosts came through the back wall. A ghost that looked like a small fat monk said

"We ought to forgive him again, then. Peeves can't help it that he causes trouble." the ghost said. A ghost in a ruff and tights glanced at them.

"I say, what are you lot doing here?" the ghost in the ruff said.

Nobody could answer.

"Oh right, this always happens. New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling warmly at them. "About to be sorted, I suppose?" he asked. A few people nodded.

"Very well. I hope to see you lot in Hufflepuff, my old House." he said.

"Move along. The Sorting Ceremony is about to start." a sharp voice said, marking the return of Professor McGonagall.

"Form a line and follow me." he said. He watched their progress (occasionally saying "Mr. McAshton, how is it that you manage to nearly trip on a completely flat surface?" or "Mr. Green, stop fooling around and get back in the line at once!")

Finally they reached the doors of the Great Hall and entered.

It was lit by thousands of candles and looked to be one of the greatest places Albus had ever seen. Scorpius looked around in awe. The four long tables were lined with golden plates and goblets. Best of all the sky looked like how the night sky they had been under not long ago looked. ("It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. Mum told me." Rose said.) They waited in between the two tables in the center as Professor McGonagall placed an old wizard's hat that looked worn and incredibly dirty on a stool. Everyone stared at the hat and was shock when a rip near the brim of it opened and the hat began to sing:

_"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
>But don't judge on what you see,<br>I'll eat myself if you can find  
>A smarter hat than me<em>

_You can keep your bowlers black,  
>Your top hats sleek and tall,<br>For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
>And I can cap them all.<em>

_There's nothing hidden in your head  
>The Sorting Hat can't see<br>So try me on and I will tell you  
>Where you ought to be.<em>

_You might belong in Gryffindor,  
>Where dwell the brave at heart,<br>Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
>Set Gryffindors apart;<em>

_You might belong in Hufflepuff  
>Where they are just and loyal,<br>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
>And unafraid of toil;<em>

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
>if you've a ready mind,<br>Where those of wit and learning,  
>Will always find their kind;<em>

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,  
>You'll make your real friends,<br>Those cunning folks use any means  
>To acheive their ends.<em>

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
>And don't get in a flap!<br>You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
>For I'm a Thinking Cap!<em>

The whole hall burst into applause as soon as the hat had finished. The hat actually bowed to each table before all was quiet. Albus felt his stomach turn a little and Scorpius looked extremely pale. Professor McGonagall stepped forward with a long scroll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." he told them.

"Abrams, Ashley!"

A girl with long, straight, jet-black hair walked forward, noticeably more confident looking than she must have felt. She sat and placed the hat over her head and almost immediately after -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat shouted and Ashley beamed and went to the table on the right to join the Hufflepuffs, who cheered loudly. The Fat Friar smiled at Ashley and she sat down.

"Asterley, Anthony!"

A boy walked forward, shaking with fear. He had brown hair that stuck up a little in front and he had obviously taken the time to perfect his robes, which looked as if they were in mint-condition. Albus wondered what House this boy was destined to be in when after five seconds of Anthony wearing the hat and -

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat. The table second from the left clapped this time and several of the Ravenclaws stood up and shook hands with Anthony.

"Benever, Matthew!"

One of the twins that had smiled at the annoying boy from earlier stood up and walked over, scared half to death it seemed. The hat sat on his head for a full two minutes and he looked near tears, and then -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat. The Hufflepuffs exploded with applause and the boy left the hat and rushed eagerly over to his new house. Albus could now see that their robes did indeed become House robes magically. The Head Boy at every table walked around and tapped the robes of new students, turning them forever into robes for whichever House they were in.

"Benever, Natthew!" Professor McGonagall shouted in a tone that clearly displayed his disdain for whoever it was that had named their sons Matthew and Natthew.

Natthew, the other brown-haired twin walked up even more nervous than his twin. Natthew sat on the stool for a whole minute before the hat made its decision.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat and Natthew ran, nearly in tears, to join his twin brother. Together, Albus could not tell which was which anyways.

"Boot, Tia!"

A small blond girl walked up. She had a look of wisdom to her, but looked as if scared all the same. It took her only two seconds to find out which House she belonged to.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted and again Ravenclaw students clapped and they stood up to shake her hand, Anthony Asterley among them.

After that things began to go by and Albus heard most of the students being sorted. "Carters, Elizabeth" became the first Slytherin and the table on the far right burst into wild applause.

"Chalthoum, Set Jabari!"

Albus and many other students were flummoxed by the origin of the name, and Albus found himself looking to Rose for an explanation.

"It's an Egyptian name." Rose whispered.

The boy certainly looked Egyptian. His features showed all. His hair was dark, either dark brown or black, and his skin looked bronzed by the sun, but in an almost natural way, like it had always been that color. The boy walked forward, intense and careful in every movement. His shoes clicked sharply against the steps, and he turned with a calm face to the whole of the Great Hall before sitting gingerly on the stool. The hat descended upon his head, and his face was still calm, eyes closed, not screwed shut like how some frightened first years had theirs, but closed in a calm, almost sleep-like way. The hat took about ten seconds to decide.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat yelled, and the Egyptian boy made his way to their table and stood, calm-faced as ever as he joined their ranks.

"Corner, Daisy" became a Ravenclaw, and she was soon sitting beside Tia, looking relieved. "Davies, Cara" was a girl with short dark hair and she eagerly went to Gryffindor.

"Edwards, Tyler!"

The small freckle-faced boy from earlier, the one who had laughed with the twins and the annoying boy he had befriended, walked up, trembling. A minute passed and his house was chosen.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled, and Albus grew a bit concerned. He didn't want to end up with the likes of him.

"Entwhistle, Erica" a small girl with a blond ponytail, went to Ravenclaw. A confident brown-haired boy named "Finch-Fletchley, Martin" went to Hufflepuff and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finnigan, Landon!"

The brown-haired boy with blue eyes and the Irish accent from earlier walked over. He looked serious but also had a brave look on his face. The hat barely touched his head before it screamed:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Landon smiled, letting out a cheer of his own and blissfully joining the Gryffindors. He ignored Tyler, sitting in one of the closest seats to the table the staff members sat at as opposed to Tyler's position further down the long table.

"Garrett, Bonnie" became a Hufflepuff and "Goldstein, Grace" went to Ravenclaw. And then -

"Green, Alexander!"

The annoying boy from earlier himself walked forward. The hat sat on his head for not one minute to think, but _three_. After an agonizingly long decision where the annoying look of confidence had been forcefully wiped off his face ("Serves him right." said Scorpius in an arrogant tone), the hat made a decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted and Albus groaned. He did not want to end up in that House with the annoying boy, Alex and his little friend. What if Albus was made to share a room with them? Albus tried to think of a way out but saw no option. He had to wait to be sorted.

"Hopkins, Cheryl" and "Hopkins, Gretchen" both went to Hufflepuff. "Macmillan, Edgar" too went to Hufflepuff and the blond boy went with a confident air which nearly hid his shaking knees.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Now was a moment of truth, for both Scorpius and Albus. Scorpius walked up nervously and sat on the stool. His hair, being slicked back as it was, didn't help much and the hat fell right over his eyes as well. But the hat had come to a decision as soon as it touched him:

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted when it barely touched Scorpius' head and Slytherins were applauding wildly, as Scorpius was the second boy in Slytherin so far. Albus stood there in shock, only able to nod to Scorpius once the boy waved at him, smiling.

The boy with curly blond hair "McAshton, Dennis" went to Ravenclaw and Bryce McLaggen grinned as he was made a Hufflepuff, and he sat with Edgar Macmillan and Martin Finch-Fletchley eagerly.

"Montague, Tom!"

A brown haired, blue-eyed boy stood up. He had a smirk that clearly showed a sense of superiority, and it was almost condescending. He had a look that screamed Slytherin and to no one's surprise, the hat barely touched his head when the hat screamed.

"SLYTHERIN!" Tom smirked and went to join the Slytherins, sitting across from Scorpius. The Slytherins were shouting applause madly by now.

"Nott, Penelope" joined Emily Carter at Slytherin and "Orton, Leah" went quickly to Gryffindor with a grin on her face. And then...

"Potter, Albus!"

Albus' knees threatened to give way but he forced himself over to the stool. He sat on the stool and the hat was dropped over his head. He saw the black inside of the hat and began to wonder.

_"Hmm...loyal like those Hufflepuffs but you wouldn't flourish in Hufflepuff much." _ the Sorting Hat said.

Albus was nearly frozen. It was like the other kids had supposed, that the hat read your mind or something to find out where you belonged.

_"Not a bad mind at all either, just like your father. But I fear you will simply not shine in Ravenclaw. That leaves only Gryffindor or Slytherin."_ the hat mused.

_"You are brave but beneath that bravery...I see cunning. Yes, you are clever like those Slytherins." _

Albus was frozen in shock by now and if Professor McGonagall asked him to get off the stool, they would have to take him out in a stretcher, he felt so incapable of movement.

"Not Slytherin, please." Albus thought.

_"Not Slytherin? But you could be great in Slytherin, Potter." _ the Sorting Hat said to him. Albus thought for a moment. If he went to Slytherin, he could at least join his new friend Scorpius, but he would not be with his cousins. Then again, if he became a Gryffindor it was entirely possible that he would be stuck with the annoying boy, Alex and his little lackey.

_"Weighing the outcomes of each choice instead of moving forward brashly, are we? One thing that differs you from your father indeed. You would do very well in Slytherin, and Scorpius is hoping you make Slytherin as well. He is hoping the two of you will become the best of friends." _the Sorting Hat told him.

_"And besides, I feel that you want to set yourself apart from your brother and set a new expectation for yourself. I sense that you quench a certain new experience to set yourself to a new and higher standard." _the Sorting Hat told him.

It was true...and yet...Albus made up his mind.

_"Fair enough. Put me where you think I belong. At least I can shine there without worry."_ Albus told the Hat.

"_A very clever choice Potter."_ So his destiny would be bound forever by the next word he heard.

"SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat yelled. All around them every single House besides Slytherin stared in open-mouthed shock yet it sounded as if the whole of the Great Hall was cheering for him. It was the Slytherins and he could make out Scorpius' cheers loudest of all.

"GO AL! YES!" Scorpius practically screamed. Even Rose was too shocked to cheer, but among the shocked unsorted First Years he saw Louis and Emmet cheering loudly. Albus smiled at the look of utter shock on Alex's face that wiped his annoyingly confident smile right off again. Albus rushed over to the table and he and Scorpius high-fived each other while several Slytherins hastened to shake his hand or just to clap him on the back. The Head Boy approached and tapped Albus and Albus watched his plain black robes change, his hood and tie changing to their new green and his Slytherin badge on the front of his robes. Albus sat beside Scorpius and they continued to watch the Sorting.

"Render, Pauline" went to Slytherin as well and then right after her "Rollins, Emily" joined the still-shocked Gryffindors and "Royce, Chrystal" joined Slytherin too. There weren't many first years left to be sorted now.

"Scamander, Lorcan" and "Scamander, Lysander" were both greeted with great applause by the Ravenclaws. And finally...

"Smith, Emmet!"

Emmet strode forward, being braver than he looked, but still solemn. The hat sat on his head for thirty seconds, then it chose.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat yelled, and with Albus and Scorpius contributing, the Slytherins roared with applause.

After Emmet sat with them, "Somerville, Winona" and "Taylor, Dedrich" were both sent to Ravenclaw. "Thomas, Jerome" made it to Gryffindor and shared his bliss with Landon. "Truman, Josephine" joined the Hufflepuff table.

"Weasley, Louis!"

Louis walked forward. He seemed pale but all right for one of the last few kids to be sorted. Albus secretly hoped his cousin would be sorted in the same House but it was not to be.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the House shouted. Louis took one slightly indecisive look at Albus, as if asking if it was okay. Albus smiled and nodded for his cousin to go on and Louis smiled and went to sit down, talking to Landon Finnegan and Jerome Thomas, who seemed to be on friendly terms with him already.

"Weasley, Rose!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" the house shouted with only moment's hesitation. Albus and the others cheered for her, and they did for Roxanne too, who was also made a Gryffindor. Only "Worple, Samantha" had been left and she became a Slytherin.

Albus' stomach rumbled and the Tom Montague boy smirked at him.

"Aha, hungry already? Not to worry, the food will appear soon. I'm Tom by the way." he said, shaking hands with Albus.

"I'm Albus but you can call me Al if you want to." Albus replied.

"So I heard you nearly got into a fight with that little twerp Alex, huh?" he asked in a slightly condescending tone. He definitely had a pure-blood attitude but didn't seem to be one that discriminated against Muggle-borns so much.

"Yeah." Albus said. He felt his heart drop in his chest. _How was he going to tell his mother and father, especially after his father told him he could __**choose **__Gryffindor?_ Certainly they were expecting a letter from him stating he was Gryffindor too, but how would they react. Albus grew worried.

"Ah look, food's here!" Tom exclaimed. Albus' jaw dropped. The dishes before them were now piled high with food. There were so many things to choose from: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, baked potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup and peppermint humbugs. Tom smiled at Albus as he piled a bit of each on his plate.

"Welcome to Slytherin." Tom said.

Scorpius noticed Albus' worried look and piled some food on Albus' plate for him.

"Eat. You'll be starving later if you don't." Tom said. The first year Slytherin boys were all sitting together in a bunch, Scorpius on Albus' right side and Emmet on Albus' left, at the end of the table. Across from Emmet sat the Egyptian boy, Set, and beside set was Tom.

"C'mon Al. Eat. The food's great." Scorpius urged. He took a bite of his roast chicken.

Albus sighed and shrugged off his worries for the moment, taking a bite of the baked potato. It was beyond delicious, as wonderful as Grandma Molly's homemade meals, and he found himself piling more on his plate in no time. Conversation soon started between the boys.

"I've got a superb Wizard Card Collection." Tom boasted. "I'm missing Merlin though, he said, frowning a bit and prodding his baked potato.

"I'll trade you. Give me a Herpo the Foul or Salazar Slytherin and you can have my Merlin." Scorpius said through a hearty bite of lamb chops.

"Huh...but Salazar's one of the best ones. He's the founder of our house!" Tom cried.

"Want the Merlin or not?" Scorpius asked through a mouthful of sausage.

"Oh all right." Tom said, frowning slightly. Scorpius grinned. Tom nibbled on a piece of bacon. Albus was now eating his pork chops, much enjoying how the flavor entered his mouth the second he took a bite.

Tom advised them to not eat their fill and they soon saw why. Once dinner had disappeared, dessert appeared. There were blocks of every flavor of ice cream imaginable, as well as apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs, jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding and a whole lot more. Tom smiled and took a bite out of his eclair.

"How do you know so much?" Emmet asked Tom.

"My dad told me everything about the school. I suppose it would account for me being more knowledgeable than most." he said. Albus spooned some chocolate chip cookie dough flavored ice cream into his mouth, thinking it over.

"Terrific food, huh?" Scorpius said through a mouthful of apple pie. Albus nodded as he finished the spoon of ice cream and bit into a treacle tart. Emmet took in a mouthful of trifle and nodded in agreement as well. Before long all of the boys were full and Professor Helstrom stood to speak. He was a tall man with brown hair, sharp hawk-like blue eyes and a sort of intimidating seriousness.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I will make this brief so you may meet your new friends and find your new lodgings. As always, Quidditch tryouts are to be held next week, on Saturday and the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students. Now, Prefects, you may show your new students to their rooms." Professor Helstrom said.

A kind-looking Prefect at their table stood up.

"My name is Mitchell MacClellan. Follow me." he said and the first years began to follow him.

"Our dorm is in the dungeons." Tom said to them, pointing at a door in the Entrance Hall. MacClellan led them down many stairs and the atmosphere around them grew generally cooler. Finally in the passage in which they passed the Potions classroom and some empty rooms and another small flight of spiraling stairs, they came to a wall in the cellars.

"_Pure-blood!" _MacClellan said and the wall slid open. "That is the password. I will inform you if it changes." MacClellan said and he led them inside.

The common room had a low-ceiling and it was a very dungeon-like room. The lounge chairs were made of a greenish leather, and lamps were largely green but a faint (but bright enough) normal light emitted around the room. There were low-backed black and dark green sofas all around with buttons, skulls, and dark wood cupboards. It was a very grand but cold atmosphere. There were also very tough underwater windows in which the students could see the lake from there. Albus stared in wonder as a beautifully scaled fish swam by. MacClellan then pointed to two earthy looking passages that led a little lower.

"First years, your dorms have signs marked on them. First year girls, your passage is on the right. First year boys, follow me." he said.

The young new Slytherins were shown to the passage on the left. They stopped in front of the very first room. "Here is your room." MacClellan added.

"You can spend any free time in the Common Room. Have a good first night." he said, shutting the door behind them. Albus took a look at the room. The beds were luxurious four-poster beds with the Slytherin green canopy-like curtains to provide privacy to each occupant. In the long room there were five beds total, two on each side and one in the middle. There was a grand bay window which showed a starry sky. ("It's bewitched." Tom had told them). The room had green lamps as well which cast off regular uncolored light but when turned off a blue-green glow lit the room enough for them to see each other but also not too much so they could sleep.

"Father told me about it. Only we, the true occupants of this room, can see it. It's pitch-black to anyone else, except the Headmaster and Head of Slytherin. Bewitched to befuddle enemies." Tom explained. Albus was amazed.

There were snake-like references all over the room. The four-poster beds had designs of great slithering snakes on them and there was a Slytherin emblem on the wall.

The boys all easily selected and claimed their beds. Albus took the one in the middle, and Scorpius took the bed on the right side of the entrance, right near Albus'. Emmet took the bed beside Scorpius, and Tom took the one on the other side, near Albus. Set was left the remaining bed. As Albus sunk into his new bed, he quickly fell into a comfortable sleep.


End file.
